with

General B.B. Bell
Commander of United States Forces Korea

Monday, January 28, 2008
8:00 AM-8:30 AM ♦ Registration and Breakfast
8:30 AM-9:30 AM ♦ Presentation and Q&A

The Korea Society, 950 Third Avenue, Eighth Floor, New York City
(Building entrance on SW corner of Third Avenue and 57th Street)

East Asia is a region of extraordinary opportunities and challenges. The U.S.–ROK alliance, one of seven U.S. mutual defense treaties, has been and should continue to be a cornerstone of America’s security posture in the region. However, many in both the U.S. and Korea still view the alliance as a legacy wartime arrangement useful only until a permanent peace treaty can be put in place on the peninsula. At that point, the argument goes, American troops should be brought home.

This argument is flawed. Both nations have an opportunity to look beyond the one-dimensional, albeit evolving, situation with North Korea, and explore the establishment of a long-term bilateral partnership based on a shared interest in working together to deal with East Asia’s opportunities, complexities and challenges. If we do this, our two vibrant democracies can contribute significantly to East Asian regional, and global, stability and security for decades to come.

About the Presenter

A Discussion of David Halberstam's The Coldest Winter

with

Bruce Cumings, Thomas McGrath, Yung Duk Kim, George Drake and Evans J.R. Revere

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008
6:00 PM-6:30 PM ♦ Registration and Reception
6:30 PM-8:00 PM ♦ Presentation and Q&A
$10 for members. $15 for non-members.

The Korea Society, 950 Third Avenue, Eighth Floor, New York City
(Building entrance on SW corner of Third Avenue and 57th Street)

David Halberstam’s final book, The Coldest Winter, a new history of the Korean War, has been on America’s bestseller lists for months. The widespread attention being garnered by the book seemingly is at odds with the popular perception in the U.S., which often labels the conflict in Korea as the “forgotten war.” In this respect, the publication of The Coldest Winter provides an invaluable opportunity to reexamine how and why the tragic events of more than half a century ago remain relevant to the search for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula today. Join us for a presentation and panel discussion revisiting this devastating period of Korea’s recent past and its continuing connections to contemporary American history.

The program will include a presentation by prominent Korean War scholar Bruce Cumings on how Halberstam’s work relates to our evolving understanding of the Korean War. This presentation will be followed by a discussion with Thomas McGrath, who was deployed as a soldier with the U.S. Army in Korea during the war, Yung Duk Kim, who was caught up in the war as a young civilian, and George Drake, Director of Research of the Korean War National Museum. They will share their first-hand experiences of this turbulent era in a conversation moderated by Evans J.R. Revere, the president of The Korea Society. The program will conclude with a Q&A session involving all of the participants.

Bringing the period to life, a series of vivid photographs from The Korea Society’s traveling exhibition, Living Through the Forgotten War: Portrait of Korea, will be on display during the program.

The NCAFP and The Korea Society co-hosted a conference on the future of U.S.-Republic of Korea (ROK) relations with the International Policy Studies Institute of Korea (IpsiKor) in New York City on November 7-8, 2007. Officials and former officials, as well as academics, from both countries attended.

Download the conference report here . 

Thursday, December 20, 2007
11:30 PM - 12:15 PM ♦ Registration/Lunch
12:15 PM - 2:00 PM ♦ Discussion

The Korea Society, 950 Third Avenue, Eighth Floor, New York City
(Building entrance on SW corner of Third Avenue and 57th Street)

The upcoming presidential election in South Korea on December 19 could mark a critical turning point in U.S.-ROK relations and the ongoing negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear programs. At stake are potential realignments in economic, political and military relationships that will have a significant impact on all the countries of the Northeast Asian region, including China and Japan.

The outcome of this pivotal election will be analyzed in an informal discussion led by leading experts on Korea and the region, including Donald P. Gregg and Evans J.R. Revere, the chairman and president of The Korea Society; Don Zagoria, project director, Northeast Asia Projects, National Committee on American Foreign Policy; and Leon Sigal, director, Northeast Asia Cooperative Security Project, the Social Science Research Council.

Come join us for this timely event on Thursday, December 20 at 12:00 PM, just 24 hours after the election.

This program is free, but RSVP is required before the end of the business day on Wednesday, December 19.

Registration, questions or concerns? Contact Samuel Jamier This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel: 212-759-7525 ext. 358, Fax: 212-759-7530